Agulhas Icon

Date: 2015 – 2017
Client: SANParks
Location: Cape Agulhas National Park

SDKS was a joint winner in the Agulhas National Park Architectural Competition, which invited proposals for two key sites: the Lighthouse Precinct and the Point, the southernmost tip of Africa where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. SDKS, together with a collaborating team that included landscape architects Bernard Oberholzer and Megan Anderson, as well as land artists Strijdom van der Merwe and Simon Max Bannister, developed the selected winning design for the Point, which was realised as the Agulhas Icon. Following the competition, SDKS led the Agulhas Icon Design Team as the project architect and principal agent on site. *See separate “Agulhas Lighthouse” web page to read more about SDKS’s Lighthouse precinct entry.

The Agulhas Icon is a composite landscape precinct, designed to lie closely to the ground. It nestles into the coastal fynbos, offering views across the dunes and rocky coastline. Stone walls define a central circular gathering space. At the edges of this circle, the four cardinal points are marked by Corten steel plates (by Strijdom), with the largest plate pointing south. At the southern exit, a dip and rise in the flanking stone walls lead visitors toward the Old Stone Marker. A relief map of Africa (by Simon) forms part of the circle’s floor.

Boardwalks wind through the protected fynbos, linking the Icon precinct to the nearby Agulhas Lighthouse. Together, the southernmost tip and the lighthouse rank among the Western Cape’s most visited tourist sites. Both are located within the Cape Agulhas National Park, just a 2.5-hour drive from Cape Town.

Photography: Bernard Oberholzer & SDKS Architects

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